In the Wake of A Dream
by wintersoldieron
Summary: Sophia runs out into the woods and the group searches for her but someone else finds her first. OC/Daryl. Sophia lives because it broke my heart to see her turned.


Disclaimer: I do not own the Walking Dead. This will include and OC. Will most likely be paired with Daryl if anyone at all. Lori and Shane bashing because they both get on my nerves.

Starts in from when Sophia runs away from the highway.

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Chapter 1

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She walked cautiously, careful not to make too much noise as she made her way thru the woods. She had been forced to move from the highway and into the woods once she had found herself heading towards a herd. Lucky for her she had a habit of using her binoculars while not he open road every so often as a way to avoid herds and such.

She felt the urge to hum and squashed it violently. Sure, it had been a few months since the end of the world and she should technically be more used to silence and _keeping_ silent but she had always been a loud and boisterous child, an even more outgoing and talkative adult.

She had also had a love of singing that had stayed with her through the years, so much so that she had never minded breaking into song in public along to the music pumping in her ears. Oh, how she missed those glorious days

And the food, what she wouldn't give for a Swiss and 'schorl era with avocado spread right now. Hell, any kind of food that didn't come from a can would be a God send but she wasn't complaining.

She broke out of her musings as she heard the cries of a female, a very _young _ sounding female, pre-pubescent maybe. Wide brown eyes looked around carefully, trying to spot movement in the dense woods surrounding her. There!

She saw a tiny slip of a girl stumbling through the trees and three of the undead moving close behind her. She moved quickly but silently and made sure the girl saw her, hopefully she would pause as she disposed of the three the undead posed, as she quickly dispatched them with her long blade. She turned, hoping to see the girl, but in her panic she continued on wards.

Yeah, not good. There had been the beginning of a herd not too far in that direction and she was not about to let that poor little girl become zombie food on her watch. She rushed behind the little girl with a Dollie clutched in her small hands and wrapped one arm around her chest, pulling her close, while using the other to cover her mouth.

The last thing they really needed was to attract the undead to their location. She was nervous enough about the overall lack in visibility as it was. "Shhh darlin' I've got you. I need you to be very quiet so we don't have any more of those things find us, okay? Can you nod for me if you think you can do that for me?"

She felt a slow, tentative nod after a minute of silence and said, "I'm gonna take my hand off your mouth but you _have_ to keep quiet alright?" She was rewarded by another, shakier, nod and released the girl entirely. She backed off slowly and raised her hands, even as she looked around her to see if any of the undead had approached when she was distracted. It all looked pretty clear.

She turned to the small girl, short brown hair, pretty green eyes, and clutching a tiny Dollie as she looked up at her from her lashes nervously. She glanced around again before crouching down, still a slight distance away. "Can you tell me your name? Maybe why you're all alone out here?"

She watched as the girl but her lip uncertainly, and after the kinds of she had run into, well she wouldn't be all that willing to part with any information either. She was met with silence and almost sighed exasperatedly but realized the little girl was likely scared and had been told not to talk to strangers. If the old saying was true in the World that Was, it was doubly so now.

"Look darlin', I wouldn't feel right just leaving you out here on your own," here the little girl whimpered pathetically and she almost winced knowing she was the cause, "so that means I have to return you to your family, people, group, whatever it may be before I can go on my way. It's also getting dark and we really need to find some place safe to sleep for the night. Please, answer my questions."

It was not the first time she had come about a lost child and luckily, each time she had been able to reunite them with their family or group. She wasn't one for groups, not after her first and only experience while belonging to a group. She may have been comfortable being pretty in the before but now it was more of a curse than anything.

Lucky for her she could kick ass. Unluckily for them, she could kick ass.

Back to the problem at hand, "My name is Anna. If you don't tell me your name I'll call you fuzzy-wuzzy," she said with a straight face, earning herself a smile, score! "And, more importantly, I won't be able to get you back to your people, unless..." She trailed off uncertainly. Maybe the child had been forced to flee because her people were, well dead or undead chow.

"Sophia." The soft voice tore her from her musing and she looked at the tiny little girl, dreading what might have been had she not been there. "My name is Sophia. And. My momma and our friends are at the highway." Anna smiled gently at the girl and looked around, spotting another undead as she did so.

She indicated for the little girl to stay and quickly moved towards it, blade coming down in a graceful arc as it split open it's head. She turned back to face Sophia after making sure there were any more behind it and winced as she saw the pale look on her face. Okay, so Mayberry her methods weren't entirely kid friendly.

She looked up at the sky and judged that they didn't have long before dark, certainly note nought time to get back to the highway. They would have to go to the cabin she had spotted not too far away from their current location, certainly closer than the highway. She marveled at the fact that the little girl had managed to make it so far.

"Come on then, we can go search for your momma in the morning, for now we need to head inside and barricade ourselves in for the night. Let's go." Anna pulled the little girl beside her, knowing that was the safest place.

"Why can't we go now?" She sighed as she looked down at the girl who was now digging her heels and looking at her with suspicion in her eyes.

"None of that little one, but it's going to get dark very soon and we can't afford to be caught in the dark. We might as well walk up to a herd and let them eat us now." A bit harsh, true, she thought as she saw the fear on her little charge's head but it was better than the alternative.

Beside, she had never been all that sensitive when it came to children, she was far too blunt for that. And she believed that if it meant she could get them to safety quicker it was worth it.

Anna and Sophia made their way to the cabin she had spotted, luckily no undead lingered outside and they made their way put the stairs. Ana made a shushing motion to Sophia, to keep her quiet, and carefully opened the door, pushing it open as she drew a second blade. She paused at the entry, listening for noise coming from the cabin and after a few minutes of just standing there heard nothing. She moved inside carefully and scanned the inside.

Nothing. She motioned Sophia inside and gently, closed the door behind them. There was enough light for her to see and she cleared the cabin in no time. She looked around and found some supplies, mostly blankets and outdoors gear. It would be useful during her, their huge supposed, stay in the woods. She made sure the windows and doors were closed properly and secured before she went back to Sophia and made her way to where Sophia sat, not making any noise, just clutching her doll and knees to her chest.

Anna thought of her nieces and how terrified they would be if they were separated from their parents or anyone in the family, thinking that-no, she wouldn't allow herself to think of them, _any_ of them.

She pulled off her backpack and pulled out two cans and a can opener. "You must be hungry, here. Some yummy chili ready for consumption." She opened both and handed one to Sophia but she shook her head.

Ana sighed so she out down her can and grabbing Sophia's two hands, forced her to grab a hold of the can, and waited for her eyes to meet hers. "If by some chance the undead made it in here or anywhere and we had to hide, waiting for them to pass by, your stomach growling would be enough to let them find us. Eat." She didn't look away from suddenly guilty-teary eyes and she might have felt worse if this exact thing hadn't happened to her before.

She had not been the one found and eaten by a group of undead but she had learned from that. She felt sorry for having to manipulate the child's fears but not for doing what was necessary to keep them alive.

As they both ate dinner, she planned the next day in her head.

They would have to wait until it was light out, but not too hot because it mad them faster. It would take a few hours before they reached the highway considering they would have to move slowly, carefully, and most importantly, quietly through the woods to avoid any unnecessary attention. Once she had dropped off Sophia with her family, she would continue on her way. She didn't even consider the possibility that no one would be there.

And they would be waiting, of that she had no doubt.

This was her forth time finding a lost child in the After, and she knew from experience that so long as a member of the group lived, they would return and search for the child they had lost. It was human nature to protect their young, much like any mammal, and she knew with absolute certainty they'd be there.

She just had to make sure she didn't take her sweet time getting there, otherwise they might move and she'd have to hunt them down like the second time.

She sent a small prayer as she drifted off to sleep, Sophia having long submitted to the pull of Morpheus.

They find Sophia's momma tomorrow and she could keep moving. For now, they would rest and get ready to face the day. Blades in hand, she slipped into an uneasy sleep, dreams filled with childish laughter and smiling faces.

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END CHAPTER 1

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Note: Hope you guys enjoy this story so far and yeah. Any ways, whether I continue this story or not will depend on feedback and whether or not I think people are actually enjoying reading this. I've only recently gotten in on the Walking Dead craze and it broke my heart when Sophia died. Since I just finished season 2 and moving on to season 3, I wanted to write this.

Let me know what you think! Thanks,

Windersoldieron


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